Interviewed Carolyn Simon at Vermilion Bay Seafood, Tony Chachere Recipe

Vermilion Bay Seafood fresh shrimp
bought from shrimpers

"...Your alternative is a tasteless imported sorry excuse for a shrimp that was harvested in a pond farm in another country..." (BoudinandBourbon.com - Virginia Billeaud Anderson interviewed Carolyn Simon at Vermilion Bay Seafood about the history of her shrimp business.)

Ryan Baptiste - The Light Beyond The Blight - Redbud Gallery - Echoes of New Orleans

Ryan Baptiste, “Southern Hospitality,” 2018, Oil on canvas, 38 x 46

"...she told me she considered Ryan’s Baptiste’s paintings to be exceptional..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson interviewed Ryan Baptiste about his "Light Beyond the Blight" exhibition at Redbud Gallery. Ryan's light-filled images of human figures and New Orleans architecture allegorize spiritual essence.)

Bar Boheme - Houston Bars - Drag Brunch - Architectural Preservation

"How admirable that Bar Boheme preserved its building, which dates to 1930..." (Discusses Bar Boheme in Montrose neighborhood, its architectural preservation of as well as its splendid patio, cocktails, kid-friendly drag brunch on Sunday.)

Bar Boheme - Houston Bars - Drag Brunch - Architectural Preservation

My friend Hugo Ovalle has a talent for finding interesting places to drink. Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Buenos Aires, anywhere he goes, Hugo’s radar plops him into interesting spots.

It was Hugo who introduced me to Bar Boheme, years ago. The night he did, I fell in love with a particular red leather couch, located on the right side of the large bar. Boheme patrons carry on about the fancy patios, and I’ll admit the patios are splendid, comfortably laid out and decorated with sculpture and greenery. In fact Houston Press readers rank Boheme’s patios “Best Bar Patio” in 2019. Nevertheless, when I go to Boheme, I always highjack my favorite red couch.

The virus, of course, interrupted that ritual for now. I believe though that very soon Governor Greg Abbott will open the bars, and things will get back to normal here in Montrose neighborhood.

Having two Louisiana brothers who own restaurants, makes me particularly aware of how painful these times are for bars and restaurants. Boheme’s response to the lockdown was to boldly service its customers with curbside pickup and free deliveries, until it was allowed to reinstate patio service, doggies included. On Sunday May 31 Boheme will host its kid-friendly Brunch with Drag Bingo, on the patio from 1pm to 4pm. The eye shadow and lashes on Angelina, Cyn City and Chloe give me a deep yearning to go to an expensive salon for pretty makeup.

Despite Houston’s sorry reputation for architectural preservation, my neighborhood has many preserved historic structures. The house I live in, for instance, dates to 1925. There is a house on my block that dates to the 1910. How admirable that Bar Boheme preserved its building, which dates to 1930. When you go, notice the striking asymmetrical brick patterns on the façade. Then shift your gaze to the roof to see, in my opinion, the building’s most stunning architectural feature, a decorative pineapple-style roof finial. I’m guessing the finial is made of limestone. Other historic buildings in the neighborhood have decorative features of this type. Perhaps you noticed the finials on the building that Hugo Ortega restored when he built Hugo’s Restaurant. I think that building dates to 1925.

The other Hugo, my friend with radar for interesting places to drink, lives in the neighborhood. Hugo and his beautiful family have an architecturally preserved home that dates to 1905.

Images are from Bar Boheme’s Facebook and Instagram.

Bar Boheme
307 Fairview St
Houston, Texas 77006
Barboheme.com


(Selected Articles on BOUDINANDBOURBON.COM)

Consciousness Screwing with Us: Rice University’s 2023 Archives of the Impossible Conference

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2023/05/consciousness-screwing-with-us-rice.html

Garland Fielder Weighs In on Architectural Design and the Creative Process

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/08/garland-fielder-weighs-in-on.html

A Talk with Angie Dumas About Her Blog "Da'Stylish Foodie" - Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/02/a-talk-with-angie-dumas-about-her-blog.html

Eating Garlic Beef at Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant - Mai's Immigrant Story

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/eating-garlic-beef-at-mais-vietnamese.html

Discovering S.P.Q.R. and Miraculous Oil at the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/discovering-spqr-and-miraculous-oil-at.html

Visiting Azienda Agricola Casamonti in the Chianti Classico - Wine and Cinta Senese Pigs

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/visiting-azienda-agricola-casamonti-in.html

My Visit to the Houston Farmers Market

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/09/my-visit-to-houston-farmers-market-on.html

ShyKatz Cafe Galveston Island

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/07/shykatz-cafe-on-galveston-island.html

Romano’s Pizza - Houston Italian Restaurant - Vinny Quarto, Frank Fragale - History of Calabria Italy - Montrose Neighborhood Houston

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/05/romanos-pizza-houston-italian.html

Unraveling Mint Juleps, Pat O’Brien’s Patio, Julep Bar, Anvil Bar and Refuge

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/04/unraveling-mint-juleps-pat-obriens.html

Eating Oysters at Topwater Grill in San Leon at Galveston Bay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/04/topwater-grill-at-galveston-bay-in-san.html

A Tribute to Legendary Wildcatter Jim Bob Moffett

https//wwwboudinandbourbon.com/2021/03/a-tribute-to-jim-bob-moffett-edgy.html

Morvant’s Bar and Grill - Formerly Bero's Youngsville Louisiana - 96 Year History

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/07/morvants-bar-grill-formerly-beros.html

Carolyn Simon, Vermilion Bay Seafood, Tony Chachere Recipe

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/07/carolyn-simon-vermilion-bay-seafood.html

Bar Boheme - Houston Bars - Drag Brunch - Architectural Preservation
https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/05/bar-boheme-houston-bars-drag-brunch.html

Bayview Inn, Cypremort Point Louisiana, Cranking Up

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/05/bayview-inn-cypremort-point-louisiana.html

Billeaud's Too, Calvin Trillin, and Jacking with Cajun Boudin
https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/04/billeauds-too-calvin-trillin-and.html

Martha Stewart Visits Lucullus Antiques - Patrick Dunne - New Orleans

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/10/jimmy-domengeaux-chats-about-his.html

Jimmy Domengeaux Chats about His Louisiana Wetlands Photography Exhibition – Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/10/jimmy-domengeaux-chats-about-his.html

Avesta Persian Grill's Pomegranate and Walnut Stew - Cyrus the Great - Tajikistan - Essay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/08/blog-post_14.html

Long Live Irma Thomas - Essay
https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/07/long-live-irma-thomas.html

Slobbering Cow: Questions for Amita Bhatt - Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/06/slobbering-cow-questions-for-amita.html

Notes on van Gogh’s Irises, Walter Annenberg, Louisiana Politics - Essay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/05/notes-on-irises-essay.html

A Closer Look at Christy Karll’s Painting “Swerve” –  Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/07/christy-karll-interview-closer-look.html

A Closer Look - Beef Empanadas with Olives - Seco’s Latin Cuisine - Essay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/07/beef-empanadas-with-olives-secos-latin.html

Giacomo Restaurant's Foradori, Rotaliano, Trentino 2015" - Red wine produced by Elisabetta Foradori in Trentino Italy - A Closer Look

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/06/giacomo-restaurants-teroldego-foradori.html

Bayview Inn on Vermillion Bay at Cypremort Point Louisiana - Cranking Up

Bayview Inn - Cypremort Point - Vermillion Bay - Louisiana

"...Bayview Inn at Cypremort Point on the Louisiana coastline has had miserable luck. Last summer Hurricane Barry walloped the establishment..." (After a hurricane forced the owners to rebuild, Bayview Inn at Cypremort Point on Vermilion Bay is reopening. The fuel dock, market and bar & grill with live music are back in business on Memorial Day weekend.)

Billeaud’s Too, Calvin Trillin, and Jacking with Cajun Boudin

Traditional Boudin links at Billeaud's Too

"...By way of its prototype, sausage, boudin has an honorable history that reaches back to ancient times. Homer mentions goat sausage..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson discusses Boudin dishes at Billeaud's Too in south Louisiana. She references Calvin Trillin's New Yorker article about boudin which mentions Billy Billeaud's boudin, the history of boudin, and boudin makers' innovations.)

Francis Bacon: Late Paintings - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - A Tour with Alison de Lima Greene, Didier Ottinger Centre Pompidou

Francis Bacon, Triptych August 1972, 1972, oil and sand on canvas, Tate. © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. / DACS, London / ARS, NY 2019

"...Conceivably it served Bacon for Dyer to be wasted in the Paris hotel room..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com previews the exhibition Francis Bacon: Late Paintings with MFAH curator Alison de Lima Greene, and Centre Pompidou’s Didier Ottinger.)

Martha Stewart Visits Lucullus Antiques - Patrick Dunne - New Orleans

     Martha Stewart and Patrick Dunne at Lucullus Antiques

"Aware of the publicity value of such a visit, Lucullus’ staff posted Martha’s picture as fast as a drunk tourist can eat a Lucky Dog..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson tells readers about Lucullus Antiques' new location in the Bywater section of New Orleans, where Martha Stewart recently visited owner Patrick Dunne and staff.)

Jimmy Domengeaux Chats about His Louisiana Wetlands Photography Exhibition - Jimmy Domengeaux - Wetlands - Interview

Jimmy Domengeaux, Bayou Benoit Day's End, 2016, ink jet print

"Jimmy Domengeaux on the other hand cut through the crap and stated rather succinctly the reason he photographs Louisiana wetlands..." (Interviewed Jimmy Domengeaux about his Wetlands Photography Exhibition. Jimmy photographs south Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin, swamps and marshes.) 

Rejiggering Blue Dog Café, George Rodrigue, Approachable Annie Café & Bar

Blue Dog's Burger Special on Burger Night

"...Reading between the lines, Blue Dog is placing bets on a younger hipper crowd..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson highlights changes at Blue Dog Café where specialty cocktails, imported beer and live music will appeal to a younger hipper crowd. George Rodrigue's art remains. Similar changes made Annie Café and Bar in Houston more "approachable.")

Sharon Kopriva: No Small Thing - Hilliard University Museum - Damn, I Missed the Dinner

     Sharon Kopriva, Breaking Bonds, 2019, 5 Panel Piece, 

          graphite and collage on paper, 80 x 113 inches

"...My Mom’s back was hurting from having to stand in the gallery, and she was becoming impatient for her martini, so I decided to decline Sharon Kopriva’s invitation to a dinner..."

Sharon Kopriva, Hilliard University Art Museum, To Hell with Time and Space

Sharon Kopriva, The Cardinal, 1994, Papier Mache and
Mixed Media, 50 x 48 x 48 inches

"...I’ll bet you an expensive bottle of booze, Sharon did exactly that when she floated through walls.."

Avesta Persian Grill's Pomegranate and Walnut Stew, Cyrus the Great, and Tajikistan

Avesta Persian Grill's wall mural with images of relief
carvings from the citadel of Persepolis

"Assyria, Greece, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Central Asia, parts of India, Cyrus hoped, would roll over, or spread their legs in exchange for favorable terms as tribute-paying satrapies and vassals." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com visits Avesta Persian Grill to taste the pomegranate and walnut stew called Fesenjān, a dish that dates back two and a half thousand years and was prepared in the Persian Empire's royal kitchens at Persepolis.)

Spending Time on the Patio at Hugos Restaurant, James Beard and Giotto

Chuleta de Puerco, double-cut pork chop with
winter squash-chapulin butter crust and roasted vegetables

"...wanted good marijuana from Oaxaca. Back then we called that coveted weed Oaxacan Gold. Now I’m an old broad who gets giddy over Oaxacan mole sauce.." (BoudinandBourbon.com writes about having food and booze on the patio at Hugos Restaurant, with some culinary history.) 

I Love Console Tables, Marie of France, King of Poland, Jayne Wrightsman and Italy

Chatsworth: The Attic Sale October 2010, Italian carved giltwood
console table, made in Rome, mid 18th century, Sotheby’s Auction

"Why, you might ask, do I give a damn about a frou-frou gilded, curly-leg, marble-top table, the sole purpose of which, is to be displayed against the walls of grand rooms..." (Fun historical background to a console table sold by Christies's Auction. It had been owned by Stanislaw, King of Poland, father of Queen Marie, who was Louis XV's wife.) 

Interviewed Mark Morales of Shutter Source Houston about Custom Made Shutters

Custom made bedroom shutters manufactured and 

installed by Mark Morales - Shutter Source Houston

"...Caesar would have looked through shutters to scrutinize torch lights below, while augurs read a sheep's liver for indications of trouble..." (BoudinandBourbon.com - Virginia Billeaud Anderson interviews Mark Morales about his custom made shutters. Article includes fun history of shutters used by ancient Persians, Greeks and Romans.)

Long Live Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas 2019 The Advocate.com
Photo by Sophia Germer

"...There can’t be a more poignant statement of loss than Irma's 'Wish Someone Would Care'... (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com pays tribute to Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas with a few words about her life and music.)

Dr. John’s Second Line Jazz Funeral - New Orleans - A Closer Look

"Dr. John’s second line funeral ... with horse-drawn hearse to carry the coffin, jazz musicians, enormous New Orleans crowd.." (Image: by Brett Duke NOLA.com/The Times Picayune (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com writes a few words of tribute to Dr. John.)

Slobbering Cow: Questions for Amita Bhatt - Interview

Amita Bhatt, “No Straight Answers,” 48 x
48 inches, Oil on Canvas, 2015

"...you take partial inspiration from the Greek maenads, drunk frenzied bitches who’ll tear you to shreds..."

My Visit to Rays Real Pit Bar-B-Q Shack in Houston - A Closer Look

Rays Real Pit Bar B-Q Sample Mix of Brisket, Ribs, Sausage

"The first thing I did was walk to the back of the building, to try to snoop around. I wanted to see the pit.." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com visits Rays Real Pit Bar-B-Q Shack in Houston, owned by Herb Taylor, Ray Busch and Maxine Davis. Learn about the food, River Falls, Rays House Rub and some Bar-B-Q History.)

Notes on Irises, Van Gogh, Walter Annenberg, Louisiana Politics - Essay

Pam Zuschlag, "Irises," Photograph taken la Louvre
Garden, Bonnieux, Provence, facebook 5-13-19

"...In 1987 Annenberg had a hankering to own van Gogh’s Irises (1889)..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com tells readers about Van Gogh's irises, Walter Annenberg's  painting of irises, and how the iris became the official Louisiana state wildflower.)

A Few Thoughts about van Gogh - Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Essay

Vincent van Gogh, Roses and Peonies June 1886, Oil on
canvas, 23 ½ × 28 ½ inches (59.8 x 72.5 cm), Kröller-Müller
Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands.

"How sad to think he never knew he blasted through the art market stratosphere, never knew Christie’s auction attendees yelled like drunk hockey fans..."

Shrimp and Grits at Beaux Coo Daiquiris and Cajun Eats - One Year Anniversary

Beaux Coo's Sangria Daiquiri

"My Shrimp and Grits story reaches back to 1974, when as a college student in south Louisiana..."

Breathtaking Jewels, Elizabeth Taylor, Wallace Simpson, Christie’s Auction - A Closer Look

Sapphire and Diamond Ring, The octagonal step-cut sapphire is
 50.55 carats, surrounded with baguette-cut diamonds.

"...the sight of Wallis' 206-carat sapphire pendant would have sent me straight to the bar..." (Boudinandbourbon.com shows readers a few of the jewels Christie's will auction in New York, with mention of special jewels owned by Wallace Simpson and Elizabeth Taylor.)

Hôtel Lauzun, Hôtel Lambert on Île Saint-Louis - Charles Baudelaire, Alexis de Redè - A Closer Look

Hôtel Lambert when Guy and Marie-Hélène de
Rothschild Resided from Alidad Instagram

"Who wouldn’t want to know about the characters who commissioned and designed the structures, or inhabited them, who ate, drank, did drugs, wrote..." (BoudinandBourbon.com discusses two Île Saint-Louis townhouses, Hôtel Lambert and Hôtel de Lauzun, their history, architects, interiors, owners, artistic and literary occupants.)

St. Patrick’s Day Devilry - A Closer Look at “da Channel” Irish Channel New Orleans

Halfway to St. Patricks Day March

"In honor of the Saint, I’m hell-bent on Jameson Irish whiskey.  That’s the drink for me..."

Krewe of Rex - Hail Rex - St. Charles Avenue New Orleans Mardi Gras - Essay

Photograph Rex Ball Sheraton Hotel, year unknown,
photo by Mike Posey. Image from Krewe of Rex website.

"It wouldn’t do for King Rex to toast at some inelegant venue..."

Epicure Café's European Pastries - Habsburg Vienna - Persian Empire - Essay

                           Epicure Café’s Tiramisu Cake

"I’ve been going to Epicure Café ever since it opened in 1990, occasionally for lunch, but much more frequently for wine..."

(Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com tells readers about Epicure Cafe's  European style pastries. She discusses their Sacher Torte which originated in Vienna during the Habsburg Empire, Persian Empire culinary antecedents, and other fun history.)

Sotheby’s On-line Sale Offers Lower Priced Old Masters

"Messy restoration aside, it’s gorgeous..."

La Grange Bar - Fresh Pineapple, Memories of Whorehouses - Essay

La Grange Bar Watermelon Fresca

"...Zindler helped to put the Chicken Ranch whorehouse on the outskirts of La Grange Texas out of business."

Billeauds No. 3 - Grilled Bar-B-Q Meats and the New Orleans Saints

"...Beef Brisket, good booze and record-holding quarterback Drew Brees..."

My Tour of Menil Drawing Institute - An Unguarded Picasso - Where is Edouard Kopp - Essay

Image: Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881 – 1973, Portrait of André Salmon,
1907, Charcoal on paper, 24 ¾ × 18 ¾ in. (62.9 × 47.6 cm),
Work on paper (Drawing), V 9100. (Courtesy of the Menil Collection)

"It was a surprise to come upon a gazillion-dollar Picasso drawing propped up on..."

Fine Jewels Offered by Houston Jewelers - Beautiful and Different

Diamond and Sapphire Ring. Nazar's and Co. 
Jewelry. www.nazarsandco.com

Fine Jewels Offered by Houston Jewelers - Beautiful and Different

My infatuation with fine jewels is somewhat similar to my deep interest in French châteaux or Italian Palazzi. The fact that I’m unable to buy them in no way diminishes my desire to closely inspect, and in most cases, try to learn about their design and materials. In my opinion it's incredibly exciting to come across exquisitely crafted, achingly beautiful jewels. Hitching my love of jewelry design to the Santa season, I decided it would be fun to create a post showing readers memorable jewels being sold by establishments located in Houston. The ones I chose are gorgeous, I believe, yet different. 

Diamond and Cultured Pearl Necklace. Tenenbaum 
Jewelry. www.tenenbaumjewelers.com

Victor Velyan 18K yellow Gold and white Gold ring
 with black opal and Diamonds. Lewis Jewelers. www.lewisusa.com

Etho Maria Sharp collection 18K yellow Gold
 and Green Sapphire Drop Earrings. Saks Fifth Avenue
Houston, The Galleria. www.saksfifthavenue.com

Sutra 18K White Gold bracelet with pave set
round brilliant diamonds. Zadok Jewelers. www.zadok.com

TIFFANY AND COMPANY SCHLUMBERGER® Fish Clip
Brooch with rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in
18K gold. Tiffany, The Galleria. www.tiffany.com

(Selected Articles on BOUDINANDBOURBON.COM)

Consciousness Screwing with Us: Rice University’s 2023 Archives of the Impossible Conference

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2023/05/consciousness-screwing-with-us-rice.html

Garland Fielder Weighs In on Architectural Design and the Creative Process

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/08/garland-fielder-weighs-in-on.html

A Talk with Angie Dumas About Her Blog "Da'Stylish Foodie" - Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/02/a-talk-with-angie-dumas-about-her-blog.html

Eating Garlic Beef at Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant - Mai's Immigrant Story

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/eating-garlic-beef-at-mais-vietnamese.html

Discovering S.P.Q.R. and Miraculous Oil at the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/discovering-spqr-and-miraculous-oil-at.html

Visiting Azienda Agricola Casamonti in the Chianti Classico - Wine and Cinta Senese Pigs

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/visiting-azienda-agricola-casamonti-in.html

My Visit to Houston Farmers Market

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/09/my-visit-to-houston-farmers-market-on.html

Visiting ShyKatz Cafe on Galveston Island, Historical Architecture

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/07/shykatz-cafe-on-galveston-island.html

Eating Oysters at Topwater Grill in San Leon at Galveston Bay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/04/topwater-grill-at-galveston-bay-in-san.html

A Tribute to Legendary Wildcatter Jim Bob Moffett

https//wwwboudinandbourbon.com/2021/03/a-tribute-to-jim-bob-moffett-edgy.html

A Talk with Food Guru George Graham about Acadianatable.com - Graham’s New Cookbook “Fresh From Louisiana: The Soul of Cajun and Creole Home Cooking” - Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/12/a-talk-with-food-guru-george-graham.html

Ryan Baptiste - The Light Beyond The Blight - Redbud Gallery - Echoes of New Orleans

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/06/ryan-baptiste-light-beyond-blight.html

Billeaud's Too, Calvin Trillin, and Jacking with Cajun Boudin
https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/04/billeauds-too-calvin-trillin-and.html

Martha Stewart Visits Lucullus Antiques - Patrick Dunne - New Orleans

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/11/martha-stewart-visits-lucullus-antiques.html

Jimmy Domengeaux Chats about His Louisiana Wetlands Photography Exhibition – Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/10/jimmy-domengeaux-chats-about-his.html

Avesta Persian Grill's Pomegranate Walnut Stew, Cyrus the Great, Tajikistan

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/08/blog-post_14.html

A Closer Look - Beef Empanadas with Olives - Seco’s Latin Cuisine - Essay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/07/beef-empanadas-with-olives-secos-latin.html

Giacomo Restaurant's Foradori, Rotaliano, Trentino 2015" - Red wine produced by Elisabetta Foradori in Trentino Italy - A Closer Look

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/06/giacomo-restaurants-teroldego-foradori.html

A Few Words About "Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol" from the Natural Portrait Gallery, London" at MFAH

Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII,
1540, oil on wood, Palazzo Barberini, Rome

"..One easily imagines Henry glittering in the torch light at Whitehall Palace..." (I was invited to preview the exhibition “Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol,” from the National Portrait Gallery, London, at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Here is fun background to some of the show's portraits.)

Meeting Carolyne - Carolyne Roehm 's New Book Carolyne Roehm Design and Style - A Constant Thread

Carolyne Roehm Design and Style: A Constant Thread

"...posh hotels and restaurants in the area inflated costs. Geezers recall when that part of downtown was an armpit..." (This post tells blog readers about meeting Carolyne Roehm, about her newest book Carolyne Roehm Design and Style: A Constant Thread, and about how she inspired me.)

Interviewing Sergio Vazquez about Wine Selection at Sorrento Restaurant - Brunello di Montalcino

Sangiovese grapes in Montalcino region are used for Brunello di Montalcino

"...it's quite common for customers to want to see vintage years, and he is happy to accommodate them" (Sergio Vazquez Sorrento Restaurant) Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com interviews Sergio Vazquez about wine selection at Sorrento Restaurant after choosing the Brunello di Montalcino.)

My Visit to Irene’s New Location - New Orleans French Quarter

Bar at Irene's - 529 Bienville - New Orleans

"...The moment I saw the “new” Irene’s brick walkway, the instant I stepped inside and saw the wooden wine barrels, I knew it was dumb to worry... (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com writes about Irene's move to its new location at 529 Bienville in New Orleans. Includes fun history of southern Sicily.)

Fernando Casas - Interior with Disappearing Mirror - After Velázquez - A Closer Look - Essay

Fernando Casas, Interior with Disappearing Mirror - After Velázquez 

Fernando Casas said "At the moment I am working on a painting I wanted to paint for over 40 years..."  (Virginia Billeaud Anderson writes an essay about Fernando Casas' painting Interior with Disappearing Mirror - After Velázquez, which Casas considers a cornerstone of his career.)

A Closer Look - Christy Karll’s Painting “Swerve” - Interview

Christy Karll, Swerve, 2018, Oil on archive paper,
17 x 16 1/4 inches (framed), from Barbara Davis gallery

“...You bitch,” I replied.  Surrounded by inspiring architecture.  I on the other hand was in Houston..."

Beef Empanadas with Olives - Seco’s Latin Cuisine - A Closer Look - Essay

Seco’s Latin Cuisine - Parrilla Seco with Margarita and Malbec

"...green olives that juice-up Seco’s beef empanadas yanked my mind back to the time I was lost in an olive grove in Spain.."